The Bachelor
by EngelMegane
Summary: AU. Arthur Kirkland has never fallen in love. And yet he hopes to find it here, in a mansion where twenty-five other males are also aspiring to find their true love. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first season of… The Bachelor. UK-centric, Arthur/?
1. The Bachelor

Good day everyone! Engel here, with my first ever fanfiction! I've never actually written anything that I deemed okay enough to post, but an idea came up to me while I was watching the television, and since no one had done it yet in the Hetalia fandom... I figured, why not?

I chose Arthur, not only because my sister loved him, but that's beside the point, but because he is rather versatile for a character. And besides, my sister liked to abuse him.

Disclaimers: The nations are their own, but only discovered by Himaruya Hidekaz himself. Arthur-centric, and eventually Arthur/?, future crack pairings in the future.

* * *

_Hello everyone, my name is Arthur Kirkland. I live in London, England as a columnist and the author of several children's books that are rather famous worldwide. I am twenty-four years old, the youngest of 4 brothers, and yes, I am a homosexual._

_Being open about my sexuality is somewhat difficult, especially because I write stories for children, but I am not ashamed of it, and coming out was one of the most nerve-wracking, but certainly the most relieving experience I've ever gone through. But it's rather surprising that most people are more open-minded than I had originally thought. But that's all well and good, and I am now currently in that part of my life when I am looking for a special person to share the rest of my life with. _

_It's not as easy as it seemed to be. In the few years I've come to terms with my sexuality, with a few failed relationships every now and then, I've almost given up on looking for that one man that would complete my life. But, still, I kept trying, because I know, somewhere out there, I would eventually meet the man of my dreams and hopefully… find true love, as cheesy as it may sound._

_I've always looked for love, so maybe it's time for it to find me. Haha._

-/-

Arthur Kirkland was fidgeting in his seat, fumbling with his tie for the innumerous time as he restlessly waited for the knock on the door that would signify the start of the emotional roller-coaster ride that he had signed up for. Honestly, he didn't quite know what went through his head when he agreed to be the star of a romance-based reality show as the first _gay_ bachelor in the history of the world. But a few meetings after, a couple of contracts signed, here he was, in his best formal suit, primped, curled and dressed up for the cameras that were taking in every single second of his anxiety and nervousness.

And the show hadn't even started yet. Just… perfect.

The producers had told him to ignore the constant lenses that were all but stalking him everywhere, but he felt uncomfortable under such… scrutiny, knowing that there were people from all over the world that would watch his every step in his 'journey to find true love' as the show put it. But he supposed that he would get used to it in time, and since his life in the mansion would not be live telecast (as opposed to the start and the end of the show, wherein he would meet each of his suitors and eventually… spouse, if he was lucky enough) and some parts would be cut off, the prospect of being watched wasn't so bad after all.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Arthur decided to think about what the director and the writer told him. Since he was the first gay bachelor, they decided to make this season a bit more special, with his suitors coming from every end of the world, one from any major country in fact. Not only would it raise viewers (because, primarily, that's what this show was really about) but it would also look into different cultures of different people from different places. They had also told him of the basic guidelines: he would need to eliminate the suitor he had the least connection to, every week it seemed, by the means of a 'rose ceremony'. He would also go on group dates, two-on-one dates, and finally one-on-one dates where both of them could talk privately and more intimately with each other. The suitors were also free to leave of their own will (which Arthur hoped would not happen) and he could also not adhere to the basic guidelines, such as eliminating two people at once, but ultimately, he would need to choose the person he was closest to feeling in love with.

And so it all boiled down to 25 men trying to vie for his affections. Arthur didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. He wasn't a bad looking bloke (far from it, actually) but for twenty-five apparently gorgeous and drop-dead-looking handsome guys competing for his hand was just too much for him. He would ultimately break some hearts, of course, and maybe get his own heart broken in the process, but what was the assurance that these men would fall for _him_? For all he knew, they could also be attracted to one another and leave him in the dust. But in any case, he had already got himself into this, and he would also get out of it the proper way.

The quick raps on the door made him return to reality, and visibly jumped when the door opened to reveal a brunette-haired woman just around his age, very beautiful in the aesthetic sense, wearing a chiffon-colored dress that ended at the knees and revealed her figure quite nicely. She also wore a large, flower-shaped hairclip at the side of her face, and had brilliant dark green eyes that sparkled happily when she saw him.

"Arthur Kirkland, yes?" She stepped into the room, walking towards him and holding her hand out in greeting, smiling warmly at him. "Elizabeta Héderváry. I'm the host for this season's show."

Not forgetting his manners, Arthur stood up and took her hand, placing a gentlemanly kiss on top of it, feeling more at ease when she started to giggle. "Yes, I am Arthur Kirkland. A pleasure, Miss Héderváry."

"Oh no, Elizabeta is fine." She was still giggling, even after Arthur had released her and they had settled on the couch. "You're British, I presume?"

"Yes." Arthur felt more comfortable when she was around. She was friendly and kind, and seemed open to any kind of conversation you want with her. "And please, call me Arthur."

"Arthur it is, then." Elizabeta smiled. "Before you go to the mansion and we start taping your… conquest," Arthur raised an eyebrow on the term she used. "Would you mind answering some of my questions? On camera of course, and we'll delete any scene that you want us to delete." She added with a wink.

"… Very well." Arthur wasn't really used to all of it yet, but still, he could start now.

"So," The woman started to ask conversationally, quietly signaling for the camera to start rolling. "What does it feel like to be the first homosexual bachelor? I would bet some of the girls watching this show would be a bit disappointed on this season's bachelor. Really, it's such a shame that a handsome gentleman like you would, ah… bat for the other team, so to speak." She tone was engaging and lightly teasing, making him blush and forget that he would eventually be seen by thousands of people. But she didn't look adverse to this; in fact, her eyes seemed to be… gleaming?

"It's a bit surprising, actually. I never expected to participate in such a show." Arthur answered truthfully, shrugging off the gleam in her eyes as the effect of the lights. "But then again, here I am, waiting for my knight in shining armor." They both shared a laugh at that.

"What do you expect in the course of this show?" Her tone was so engaging, and she seemed to be genuinely interested in the answer that Arthur almost forgot that he was being interviewed. "Are you expecting to fall in love with one of your twenty-five suitors?"

"Not really expecting, but I _do_ hope that I could meet him there, if fate would permit it." Arthur answered pleasantly. "It would save me a lot of time and energy."

"Oh dear," Elizabeta laughed back. "It seems we have a rather lazy gentleman here." She winked to the camera, noticing Arthur getting more flustered. "Now," She leaned forward conspiratorially. "Tell us, what do you look for in a man? Just to give all of us a hint."

Then he remembered that he was in a reality show. "I…I can't possibly tell you that!" Arthur stuttered back, blushing a bright red, and the woman finally backed down, taking pity on him.

"Just one last question, Arthur." Elizabeta assured him, internally laughing at his mortified look. "This question might be rather risky, but I still believe it is needed to be asked."

"W-What is it?" The blonde man asked warily, already fearing the next words coming out of her mouth.

"Are you… to say… the goalkeeper? Or the… striker in the relationship?"

It took a moment for Arthur to comprehend what she was trying to ask. And when he did, he reddened to hard that even his ears were tinged pink. He trusted himself on not to speak, because if he did, nothing would come out but incoherent babbles and spluttered explanations.

"And I think," Elizabeta turned to the camera, lightly smirking. "We finally have the answer to _that_ question."

The director finally yelled cut, and the rest of the set was in a flurry, a hound of people on front of Arthur and Elizabeta retouching their makeup, rereading some lines and smoothing out their clothes, while the woman patted the Brtion's arm comfortingly.

"I'm sorry if the questions made you uncomfortable, but the director wanted them in the show." She didn't sound very sorry at all, but Arthur could understand that it was all for the show. It always was.

"It's… quite all right." He paused as a woman dabbed some power on his chin and rubbed on it to make it blend with his skin color. "I was just… startled, that's all."

"You better get used to it, Arthur." She advised him. "It's going to be a rough few weeks, with all those men after you." She punctuated with another wink. "Lucky guy."

"I know." But did he? Arthur wasn't really sure. After all the retouches, the camera rolled again, with Elizabeta telling him that the car would be escorting him to the mansion now, and that they will see each other again there. Arthur nodded, and was instantly whisked away in a sleek, silver limousine that would take him to Villa De La Vina, the mansion where all the past bachelors and bachelorettes had lain their hearts on the line in the search for that one true love. Today, Arthur Kirkland was going to do the same.

In the limousine, the camera still followed, situated in front of him while he sat near the window, the beautiful scenery forgotten as his heart chose that time to go into overdrive.

"How are you feeling?" The cameraman asked, gesturing for Arthur to tell his feelings in front of the camera silently recording everything that was being taken in place.

"Nervous." The blond admitted, his hand pressing against his chest, as if physically trying to stop his heart from flying out of his ribcage. "It feels like my heart is going to burst at any moment. I've never felt this nervous before."

"And your thoughts on the weeks to come?"

"It's going to be one hell of a stay there." Arthur looked far away, already seeing the tops of the mansion looming before him. "That's the only thing I can be sure of as of this moment."

-/-

_Arriving at the mansion was one of the greatest shocks for me. I had never seen a house that big or spacious before in my entire life. The crew told me that I wouldn't be staying in it, for it's going to be the home of my suitors in the weeks that they're going to stay here. I'll only be here whenever I would go on dates, but otherwise I'll be staying in a residence close to the mansion, so the filming would be easier to do._

_It was a pretty sight, with brown and red hues, with a spacious front and backyard with a sizeable pool. It's a six bedroom, nine bathroom home (heaven knows why you need that much toilets in a single house), simply too large for me to live alone in, but with a partner and a couple of surrogate children… perhaps not._

_Elizabeta, true to her word, had come to greet me at the front door, welcoming me warmly and asking me a few questions on my British roots and my expectations on the show, which I tried to answer truthfully but at the same time giving too much away._

_And before I knew it, I was already standing in front of the front door of the mansion, waiting for the first car to go in._

_It was time to finally meet my suitors.

* * *

_*ominous music here* It's done~ The first chapter of The Bachelor. The next chapter, of course, is when Arthur would meet his suitors and possible potential husband in the future. I would stay as close as to the original tv series itself, including the inner thoughts of the suitors and Arthur himself, and there would be a special twist in the next chapter! Please wait for it!

Read and review everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this~!


	2. The Suitors Part I

Hello everyone! the second chapter of **The Bachelor** is here, in which Arthur meets his twenty-five suitors one by one. I had cut these scene into three parts, since writing twenty-five nations and their interaction with Arthur is a very hard thing to do, you see. The suitors are picked completely at random, and the way they appear in the story are random too. So don't worry, you'll see your favorite suitor with Arthur soon enough!

Warnings and Disclaimers: First chapter.

* * *

If Arthur was feeling nervous even _before_ the taping had started, he didn't know _what_ he would call his feelings right now, since his body was torn between his stomach churning in different directions and his pulse fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. Internally he thanked God that he couldn't see the cameras that he knew was on and recording, because, heaven forbid, he would actually faint if he saw as much as a peek of the lens that were seeing his every move. But outwardly he looked as composed as ever, looking a bit apprehensive but anticipant at the same time, feeling his insides almost shredding in nervousness and anxiety.

_It's finally time to meet my potential spouse in the near future. I have neither hair nor tail on who they are and what they look like, but I've been told that they were coming from different parts of the world. But still, I can't help but feel excited on meeting these different people and getting to know them better. But I do hope they're attractive enough. I admit, I'm quite picky when it comes to choosing the right man for me, and I hope that my OC-ness wouldn't deter my suitors. Well, maybe a bit._

The front gates finally opened, startling Arthur from his thoughts as a black limousine finally entered, clasping his hands behind his back so their trembling wouldn't be that noticeable. His heart thudded thunderously, so loud in his chest that he thought that the microphone hidden in his clothes would be able to hear it. He took a steadying breath, swallowing when he felt his throat dry, his emerald green eyes fixated on the last door at the back of the long car, seeing it stop ten feet directly away from him.

_This is the moment of truth, I suppose. There's no turning back now._

The door opened, with one black leather shoe peeking under the sleek car door, eventually pressing itself flat against the ground as spiked, pale brown hair appeared on top, along with a handsome face as a tall, lean man stepped out of the limousine and closed it shut, a blue and white scarf billowing around his neck, looking quite out of place with the tux he was wearing as he walked towards where Arthur was standing.

Aquamarine eyes opened and stared down at the Briton as a hand was offered up; looking at Arthur with a quiet intensity that Arthur didn't know was good or bad. He could see the other man's face clearly now; distinctly sharp features with a small, vertical scar on his forehead that only seemed to amplify the 'bad boy' charm that Arthur didn't know that he was very attracted to. Until now.

"Lars Janssen." The man spoke with a hard tilt in his voice, as if he wasn't used to speaking English often, though Arthur could tell that the man was fluent in it. Arthur gave a small smile back, taking the hand and shaking it briefly, before introducing himself as well.

"Arthur Kirkland. A pleasure to meet you."

Lars didn't let go just yet, but merely stared at the blond for a little more before tightening his hold for a short while before letting his hand fall back. "_Ja, voor me eveneens.*_"

Arthur didn't know what he just said, but it was distinctly Germanic. Was he German, perhaps? But Arthur didn't get the chance to ask, since Lars had finally moved on to enter the mansion through the front door, leaving him there to greet the second one.

**He wasn't what I expected when I saw him for the first time. Blond hair, big, monstrous eyebrows. But he had nice eyes, it reminded me of the plains back in Amsterdam, where the tulips are planted. I heard that he was older than me, three years I think, and I've always preferred younger men.**

**But I might make an exception for him.**

With Lars out of sight, Arthur turned back in time just to see the second limousine entering the grounds, with some of his nervousness slightly abating now that he had welcomed his first suitor without making a complete arse out of himself. If he would admit it to himself, the tall man was quite attractive, a realization that had surprised him, since he rarely likes a person physically from the moment he saw them. There's a first time for everything, he supposed.

The limousine stopped once again in front of him, and another man stepped out, shorter than the first, with long, raven-black hair tied up in a simple ponytail as the man thanked the driver and closed the limousine door shut. He turned to the mansion, and expressing a small cry of delight, strode cheerfully back to get a better look at it.

"Oh! So big! And to think I'll be staying here for a long time, I hope!"

Arthur had to smile at his enthusiasm. He seemed very youthful, cheerful and yet still reserved, as he continued to smile at the mansion before seemingly remembering that he had something to do.

"Aiyaah! I have to greet my host, aru!"

The Briton had to stifle a laugh as the man stumbled around, trying to locate where he was. In a show of amusement he raised his hand, actually chuckling a bit when the other man had finally noticed and made straight for him.

"Sorry, sorry, I got a bit distracted by the scenery here." The dark haired man ducked his head sheepishly, his hand going up to lightly scratch the back of his neck, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Wang Yao is my name aru, and I hope that we'll get to know each other better."

Now Arthur really started to laugh, making Yao look more flustered, his cheeks slowly turning into a shade of dark red as he apologized profusely.

"No, no, I apologize, I'm being horribly rude." Arthur can't quite contain his chuckles yet. "I shouldn't be laughing. Watching you is… amusing, so to speak, but I'm happy that you found the mansion beautiful. I'm Arthur, by the way." He smiled genuinely, trying to make the other man feel more comfortable around him.

"Aiyaah, so embarrassing, aru…" Soft, brown eyes peeked at him and instantly Arthur was breathless, noticing for the first time the man's almost effeminate features, his long black hair, his white porcelain skin, and the not-so-angular contours of his face. The tuxedo he was wearing, Arthur noticed, had an Oriental flare into it, the collar high up and the buttons fastened on the side.

"Your name is… Wang? You're Chinese?" Arthur stifled another laugh threatening to bubble out of him. He really should stop right now, since it wasn't… Wang's fault that he was named that way. "Ah, yes aru, I'm Chinese." Yao smiled at him for the first time, a small quirk of the thin lips that Arthur found… very adorable. "I forgot that names are reversed in this side on the world." The Chinese man had explained, still looking mortified, but was now relaxing, nonetheless. "You can call me Yao."

"Yao it is, then." Arthur found him an extremely amiable companion, feeling somewhat guilty for letting his mind stew around in the gutter for too long. "I look forward to knowing you more."

"So do I, aru." The Chinese answered sincerely and entered the mansion next, leaving Arthur to the twenty-three suitors still left.

Well, that wasn't so bad, he thought, now more excited to see the rest.

**Arthur is such a nice person, aru! I might have made a bad first impression though, since I didn't greet him immediately. But he seemed so gentlemanly aru, and he apologized when it should be me who's supposed to be apologizing.**

**I like Arthur already aru. I hope that we can connect more during my stay here.**

Another limousine entered the mansion grounds, silver this time instead of black. Arthur, now more confident, waited patiently for the next person, finding the first two easy enough to introduce himself to. They were very pleasant to talk to, and had some very attractive qualities that Arthur didn't know he liked. The people on the show must've researched his preferences thoroughly.

The silver colored car eventually stopped, the door unceremoniously opened as a shock of silver white hair appeared, together with blood red eyes and with a big shit-eating grin as the other man crowed loudly:

"Never look for another man, for the most Awesome is here to stick around!"

Arthur froze, wondering if he had really heard–

"Heh, this place is as awesome as me! Isn't that right, little guy?" A faint chirp answered in reply and Arthur had to stop himself from gaping in shock as yes, he _did_ hear that loud and perfectly clear.

Oh dear god, Arthur thought, watching silently in horror as the other man stopped praising himself and made towards him, a deceptively sly grin on his pale face as the silver-haired man finally stood in front of him. Please tell him it wasn't one of those–

"So you're the guy we're supposed to be fighting for?" Bright magenta eyes trained on him, so intense and soul-searching that Arthur looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks, feeling that the man was seeing through him completely.

"I'd rather not you… say it that crudely." Arthur answered somewhat lamely. "But… by all technicalities, yes, that would be correct. I am Arthur Kirkland." He introduced himself stiffly.

The other man gaped at him as soon as he heard Arthur talk, speechless… before bursting into raucous laughter.

"Oh… oh man… _Mein Gott_!*" The albino was trying to catch his breath, doubling over in laughter. "I can't believe it!"

Arthur felt his ears redden furiously in embarrassment, finally blurting out angrily:

"_Why are you laughing at me?_"

"I'm laughing because you're acting like you have a perpetual stick up your ass. What, are we in some kind of a funeral here?" The other male can't stop snorting. "Lighten up a little would you? You're going to scare all of us away, especially with your big, monstrous eyebrows."

Arthur didn't particularly like that jab about his apparently thick eyebrows. They were his charm point, and nobody insults them in front of his face!

"Well, you could just turn your unimpressive bloody arse right now and fuck the way out by yourself. I'm sure that you're quite intelligent enough for that." Arthur hadn't mean to snark and curse, especially because he's in front of a television camera, but the comment about his eyebrows stung, and he can't let it go without getting some point of retaliation.

Red eyes blink at him, pale lips slowly turning into a smirk as the man realized that he had just been cussed out. "So that stick up your ass can be removed, eh?" He suddenly chuckled, a deep, husky tenor that turned Arthur's usually logical brain into instant mush.

"The name's Gilbert Beilschimdt, from the awesome country of Prussia. Call me Gil, but I wouldn't mind if you called me Awesome instead." He winked roguishly at the reddening blond. "I think I'll stick around for a while, since the others are so unawesome and you need me to awesomize things a bit." He poked the Briton in the forehead playfully before strutting into the mansion, but not before turning back and adding as an afterthought,

"Oh, and meet my awesome chick, Gilbird. Hope you don't mind me bringing him along." The little yellow bird finally poked its little head out of the unruly silver strands and cheeping once as a short greeting. Gilbert grinned and entered the estate, leaving Arthur semi-dazed, with a single thought in his head.

_But Prussia isn't a country anymore…_

**Heh, when I first saw him I thought he's gonna be a pushover. I hate prissy guys, and while Art there has a fucking elephant in his rear behind, I can tell that there's something more to him.**

**This is gonna be so much fun in the long run.**

Arthur stayed completely out-of-sorts for a short while, coming back to his senses when he heard the slamming of the car door and the joyous voice of another man observing the mansion from afar.

"Ah, _trés magnifique_!* Such a lovely state we have here," A blond man remarked, observing the rose bushes that were planted nearby. "Ah, roses. The language of _l'amour_.*"

Oh, bloody hell _no_. Arthur tried not to cringe. As much as he was a respectable English gentleman, he really can't help but feel dread as he realized that one of his suitors was a _Frenchman_. While the rivalry between their two countries had already stopped in the Middle Ages, Arthur can't help but still feel something akin to dislike, as he was a full-blooded Briton all the way from the lineage of Queen Victoria herself, though Arthur liked to keep that part of his life a secret.

The blond man had already noticed him and was walking without hurry, eventually reaching him, when Arthur noticed his long, wavy hair that seemed to be spun out of gold, letting Arthur feel a stab of envy as he too, tried to grow his hair long… with unfortunately unsavoury results. His distaste for the Frenchman grew, but was visibly startled when the Frenchman had taken a hold of his hand and had brought it to his lips, producing a rose seemingly out of nowhere to give to Arthur as a gift.

"_Pour le plus beau.*_" The man murmured against Arthur's hand, pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles, chuckling when the Briton had snapped back into his senses and snatched his hand back, looking flustered all the while.

"L-Let go of me, you bloody frog!" Arthur did _not_ just squeal out a reply. Most definitely not. "Don't touch me!"

"Ah, quite feisty are we, _mon cher_?*" The Frenchman winked back sultrily, causing Arthur to stutter and blush more. "Ah, no matter. I am Francis Bonnefoy, from the beautiful and romantic country of France." He bowed low, his blue eyes twinkling merrily (or rather perversely, if Arthur would say it himself) and added lecherously, "I will be knowing you more then, _oui_?"

Arthur was _so _ready to throw the rose back at him Tuxedo Mask style (and hopefully injure Francis' face if he was lucky) but the Frenchman had already escaped through the front door of the mansion, causing Arthur to swear at the man loudly and very crisply in his head, still aware of the cameras that surrounded him, too incensed to remember that he was supposed to introduce himself to him.

**Oh, _mon petit_ _Angleterre*_ is so adorable. Yes, I knew that he is British, judging from that horrible accent I heard while he was screaming back at me. But he has forgotten to tell me his name, but no matter, I will learn it from him soon enough.**

**After all, _l'amour_ can conquer all, and hate is simply a form of love. **

Arthur scowled darkly inwardly. The last two suitors were complete assholes, and he wondered if the rest would turn out that way as well. _Heaven forbid_ that the rest of his suitors would be like Gilbert.

Or even worse, _Francis_.

Another limousine entered the grounds, and Arthur forcefully ejected any negative thoughts in his head, trying not to greet his next suitor in a bad mood. He didn't know why, but something about the two of them just rubbed off him the wrong way. Well, no matter. He had… twenty one more suitors to meet and greet, after all.

The door of the car swung open again, and Arthur was visibly surprised and pleased to see a shock of dark brown hair, a nice change from all the blond hair he had been seeing for the last few minutes (well, Yao was also a brunet, but he was Chinese, so he was an exception). Tanned skin was the next thing he saw, and tall figure emerged, with a body that Arthur was sure he'd seen on a magazine somewhere and… _that arse_. Arthur had a weakness for perfectly sculpted body parts, and that man's arse, by far, was one of the most perfectly proportioned behind he had ever seen in quite a while. W-Well, not that he was looking at those parts frequently! N-Not at all!

But Arthur can't seem to take his eyes off the man's backside as the tanned male seemingly chose that moment to flaunt it off, choosing every moment to turn around bodily to flash that delectable ass every so once in a while as he explored the garden in the front yard.

Or so Arthur thought in his head.

But finally he man had enough of looking at the garden and turned to him, and Arthur had to admit, his ass wasn't the only good-looking body part he had. His eyes sparkled with good-natured cheer, with a boyish looking face that radiated charm and goodwill. His curled, auburn hair fell around his eyes, which was in a shade of deep emerald green, with a dimple at the side showing as he lit up and grinned at the Briton.

"_Hola!_" The tanned man told him cheerfully, and the greeting explained a lot of things to Arthur, especially about his personality.

He was _Spanish_.

"Erm, hello. I'm Arthur Kirkland." Arthur felt awkward. He didn't have many experiences with cheery people, and that smile was bright enough to blind the sun itself. The Spaniard smiled brighter, if possible, and vigorously shook his hand.

"_Hola amigo*_! My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, and I'm from Spain!"

"Erm… I noticed." Arthur noticed dryly, and the Spaniard looked genuinely confused by that.

"Really? Are you Spanish too? _Habla usted Español_?*"

"Uh, no. I'm British. And I don't know how to speak Spanish." God Save the Queen, Arthur sighed mentally, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. The man was a few sparkles short of a vampire, if you know what he meant. He crinkled his nose in slight disgust. Bloody American literature, ruining the beautiful name of classical vampire literature.

"But how did you know what I was asking?"

Oh great, now he felt like an idiot. "A-Anyway, I look forward to knowing you more." Arthur said hastily, changing the subject.

"Okay!" And with that, Antonio gave him another stunning smile and walked inside, leaving Arthur heaving a breath in slight relief.

**Ah, Arthur looks so cute! But… he said that he doesn't know how to speak Spanish, but how did he understand what I was saying? It's so strange... Anyway, this experience is going to be fun, and I can't wait to meet the others! **

**Arthur seems like a nice guy, and I'll give him lots of tomatoes later!**

But before he could regain his composure another limousine entered the driveway, and another man stepped out, a blonde this time, and Arthur was surprised on his great height and build. This person had got to be one of the tallest suitors he would have, and the thought was slightly intimidating.

And then the man turned to face him, and Arthur had taken a step back involuntarily, gulping as a shudder of fear ran down his spine.

The blond man was looking like he had killed a dozen people before coming here, and Arthur was sure that he was going to be next.

_Arthur Elizabeth Kirkland, stop this thought that instant. _A completely rational voice chided at him. _He may look like an ex-convict, but he's not going to hurt you._

_Says you!_

Arthur wasn't done with arguing with himself until a deep cough interrupted his inner monologue, and had to stop himself from fleeing in fright as the man overshadowed him completely.

"U-Um, hello. I-I'm Arthur." _Oh, for bollock's sake, stop stuttering! _Arthur mentally slapped himself and took a deep breath. "And you might b-be?" His voice cracked. Damn.

"B'rwald Ox'nst'erna." The other blonde grunted back, and Arthur found himself trying to decipher the man's words.

"Berwald, then?" Arthur hazarded a guess, and the other nodded, looking down at him through square-framed glasses, making him look sterner than ever.

"'m s'rry. My Engl'sh isn't v'ry good." Berwald tried to enunciate the best he could, and thankfully, Arthur understood, trying not to be scared away by the man's intense look.

"Oh, that's quite all right." Arthur assured him as best he could. "It's understandable, at any rate."

Berwald's expression visibly darkened, and Arthur wasn't able to stop the small squeak of fright that escaped his throat.

"A-At any rate, I-I'm looking forward to knowing you more." He nodded nervously, and Berwald took one last look at him before entering the front door.

**… He's not the wife that I'm really looking for, but he's… interesting. Hm. **

**I want to get to know him more. **

Arthur exhaled a big breath when _that_ was over. Honestly, were they trying to give him a heart attack? But you really can't be deceived by appearances at first.

Or, at least, Arthur hoped so.

His thoughts were broken once more by having another limousine come through the gates, but Arthur was ready this time, composed enough to face whatever expression his next suitor would have, come hell or high water.

The hair he saw this time was a rich dark brown, and an elegant looking man stepped out, a bit of a refresh of Arthur, who had seen everything and found some of it completely unpleasant (*coughFranciscough*). He was about to smile and raised his hand for a greeting, when, for some strange reason, the man didn't do into the threshold, as he was supposed to do.

The brunet looked left and right at first, before completely going off the other direction, towards the front lawn. Arthur, being brought up like the gentleman he was, immediately went to pick up the lost-looking man, who was around the rose bushes. The cameras followed the Briton's every move, eventually catching the scene of the blond holding the brunet man's hand as he reached him.

"Excuse me, but are you all right?"

"Ah, excuse me…" The brunet man was wearing glasses, his eyes a vivid shade of violet that Arthur found fascinating. "I'm terribly sorry, it seems like I've lost the way to the main house where I'm supposed to meet someone."

Lost the way to the main house? There was already a carpet to lead the way where he was standing, and he was just a few feet away from where the limousine dropped their passengers off, so was it possible that this man didn't see him?

"I see." Confusing thoughts aside, Arthur led the man back to the front of the mansion, unaware of the lenses that followed their footsteps. "I'm Arthur Kirkland. And you are?"

"Roderich Edelstein, from Vienna, Austria." There was a faint hue of pink on the Austrian's cheeks. "This is quite mortifying, Arthur, for you to see me like this. I apologize. My sense of direction is rather lacking."

"No, it's quite all right." The Briton assured him, already back where they were supposed to meet. "At least I know now to never leave you alone when we're together." He smiled slightly, and was relieved when Roderich managed a small smile as well.

"I'm charmed. It will be a great pleasure to know you more, Arthur." The Austrian nodded brushed off Arthur's offer of leading him inside the door, leaving Arthur alone outside again.

**A lesser man would've laughed at that display of momentary foolishness, but Arthur proved himself to be quite the gentleman. I'm very much grateful. **

**Perhaps we could find something more in common as time passes.**

Arthur felt exhausted. He had just met a third of his suitors and it already drained all of his energy. They really _were_ all different, and Arthur wondered how he was able to put up with it in the long run.

_Oh dear. I've met just seven of them and I already feel overwhelmed. While there were some, I admit, I had felt an immediate attraction to, there were also others that I disliked the moment I first saw them. Is this normal? They were all handsome, I have to say, and I really can't believe that all of them would be competing for my hand. It's rather… flattering, but at the same time, more nerve-wracking._

_I do hope that I don't royally screw this up, for a lack of better term._

* * *

**_*Translations are taken from Google Translate, so feel free to correct anything that's wrong, since we all know that Google Translate has some crappy translations.  
_**

_****__Ja, voor me eveneens. _(Dutch) - Yes, for me as well.  
_Mein Gott_! (German) - My god!  
_trés magnifique_!, _l'amour, __Pour le plus beau_ ., mon cher, mon petit Angleterre (French) - How magnificent, love, For the most beautiful., my dear, my little England  
Hola amigo!, _Habla usted Español_? (Spanish) - hello friend!, Do you speak Spanish?

And since this chapter is cut into three parts, the surprise will be after all the suitors are introduced, so please stay tuned to the next chapter!

Read and review everyone!


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